Mobile user interface for contextual browsing while playing digital content

ABSTRACT

System and methods of presenting multiple contexts, while continuing playback of digital content, such as a digital video, are presented. A user interface (UI) with multiple portions is provided to a user. The digital content is played in the first portion of the UI. The second portion of the UI includes a list of context items associated with the digital content. A user selection of a context item is received and a next context associated with the selected context item is displayed in a next portion of the UI, while playback of the digital content continues.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of digitalcontent and, more particularly, to a user interface for contextualbrowsing while playing the digital content.

BACKGROUND

The use of digital content is now prevalent in computing devices such ascomputers, smartphones, laptops computers, tablet computers, personaldigital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, portable media players, etc.Digital content includes digital music, digital images, and digitalvideos. The digital content may be streaming content or locally storedcontent. Streaming content is content which is not stored locally on acomputing device in advance, but rather, is received by and presented tothe user while being received from another computing device (e.g., acontent server). Locally stored content is content which is stored in alocal memory (e.g., a hard disk) of the computing device.

When a user views digital content, a variety of information related tothe digital content may be displayed to the user. For example,biographical information about the author or originator of a digitalvideo may be displayed to the user, videos which are related to thecurrently playing video (e.g., similar videos or videos from the sameauthor) may be displayed to the user, comments about the video may bedisplayed to the user, a synopsis of the video may be displayed to auser, other authors or originators of related content may be displayedto a user, topics which are related to the subject, theme or topic ofthe video (e.g., related topics) may be displayed to a user, etc. Theinformation related to the digital content may be referred to as the“context” of the digital content. The context may be displayed to theuser in one portion of the UI, while the video plays in another portionof the UI. The context may be displayed using a variety of menus, tabs,lists, grids, scroll bars, and/or other user interface elements.

A user may select a context item (e.g., an item or a piece ofinformation) from the context. For example, the user may view a list ofrelated authors or originators of videos, and may select one of therelated authors (e.g., another context item). When the user selects arelated author, the user leaves the current context (e.g., the contextof the current playing video) and a new context (e.g., informationrelated with the selected, related author) is displayed to the user.Many mobile computing devices (e.g., cell phones, smartphones, personaldigital assistants (PDAs), or tablet devices) may have smaller screenspace (e.g., smaller screens) than desktop computing devices. Because ofthe smaller screen space, displaying context information for digitalcontent and/or selected context items may be more cumbersome. Generally,playback of the current video is interrupted in order to display the newcontext to the user. For example, if a video is currently playing andthe user selects a related context item (e.g., a related artist) fromthe current context, a new context associated with the related contextitem is displayed to the user and the currently playing video is stoppedin order to display the new context to the user. Because of thetransition from one context to another context (e.g., the context of acurrently playing video to the context of a related context item), theuser may be unable to continue viewing the video while browsing newcontext associated with a context item from a previous context.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a method of presenting multiple contexts whilecontinuing playback of a digital video is presented. A UI is providedand the UI plays digital content for a user in a first portion of theUI. A list of context items associated with the digital context ispresented in a second portion of the UI. A user selection of a contextitem from the list of context items may be received. Data associatedwith the selected context item may be displayed in a third portion ofthe UI while continuing playback of the digital content in the firstportion of the UI. A second user selection of a second context item fromthe data associated with the selected context item may be received. Thedata may include a second list of context items associated with theselected context item. Second data associated with the second selectedcontext item is presented in a fourth portion of the UI, whilecontinuing playback of the video in the first portion of the UI. Thethird portion of the UI and the fourth portion of the UI are accessibleto the user.

In additional embodiments, computing devices for performing theoperations of the above described embodiments are also implemented.Additionally, in embodiments of the invention, a computer readablestorage media may store instructions for performing the operations ofthe embodiments described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood more fully from the detaileddescription given below and from the accompanying drawings of variousembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system architecture, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a media viewer, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3A is an exemplary user interface (UI) in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is an exemplary user interface (UI) in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3C is an exemplary user interface (UI) in accordance with a furtherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3D is an exemplary user interface (UI) in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment for a method ofbrowsing multiple contexts.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating another embodiment for a method ofbrowsing multiple contexts.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a further embodiment for a methodof browsing multiple contexts.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system that mayperform one or more of the operations described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the invention pertain to user devices that provide a userinterface (UI) with multiple portions. The UI may allow a user toidentify digital content, such as a digital video, to play. The digitalcontent is played in a first portion of the UI. Context information(e.g., related videos, related artists, related authors/originators ofcontent, related topics associated with the video, comments about thedigital content, etc.) associated with the digital content is displayedin the second portion of the UI. The context information may includemultiple context items. For example, each related video, each relatedartist, each related topic, each related author/originator, and/or eachcomment may be a context item.

When a user selection of one of the context items is received, a newcontext associated with the selected context item is presented in a newportion of the UI. The new portion of the UI may be layered on top ofthe previous portions of the UI. Alternatively, the size of the secondportion of the UI may be decreased (e.g., minimized) to provide spacefor the third portion of the UI to be displayed. Subsequently, the UImay receive additional selections of context items, and may provideadditional portions to present new contexts, each additional portion ofthe UI displaying context information associated with a context itemselected from a previous context. Alternatively, the user may switchbetween the multiple portions of the UI, to view the context informationassociated with selected context item for the corresponding portion ofthe UI.

Embodiments of the invention provide users with a convenient mechanismfor browsing multiple contexts while continuing playback of a digitalvideo. This mechanism is especially useful for computing devices thathave smaller screen space for displaying data (e.g., mobile phones andtablets).

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system architecture 100, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention. System 100 includescomputing systems 102 in communication with (e.g., coupled to) contentservers 110 over a network 104. Each computing system 102 includes amedia viewer 103. In on embodiment, the network 104 may be a privatenetwork (e.g., a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN),intranet, etc.), a corporate network (e.g., a private network for anorganization such as a corporation), a broadcast network, a publicnetwork (e.g., the Internet), a wired network (e.g., Ethernet network),a wireless network (e.g., an 802.11 network) and/or a cellular network(e.g., a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network).

The content servers 110 may include computing devices that have a widerange of processing capabilities such a personal computer (PC), a servercomputer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a laptopcomputer, a netbook computer, a tablet device, and/or any machinecapable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise)that specify actions to be taken by that machine. In one embodiment, thecontent servers 110 may provide digital content (e.g., digital video,streaming video, images, digital music, streaming music, etc.) to one ormore of the computing devices 102. For example, the content server 110may provide data (e.g., video data) for a streaming video requested by auser to the computing system 102 via the network 104. Similar to thecontent servers 110, the computing systems 102 may also includecomputing devices that have a wide range of processing capabilities(e.g., a personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA), asmart phone, a laptop computer, a netbook computer, a tablet device, acellular phone, etc.).

As discussed earlier, each computing system 102 includes a media viewer103. In one embodiment, the media viewer 103 may be an applicationand/or component used to play digital videos and/or other digital media(e.g., images, music, etc.). The media viewer 103 may provide a userinterface (UI) which allows a user to select and play digital content(e.g., digital videos or music). The UI may facilitate user selection ofdigital content, playing of the digital content, and/or viewing ofinformation related to the digital content (e.g., the context of thedigital content). The UI may have multiple portions. Digital content(e.g., a digital video) may be displayed (e.g., played) in a firstportion of the UI. Initial context information for the digital contentmay be displayed in a second portion of the UI. The initial contextinformation may include one or more context items (e.g., an initial listof context items) which a user may select using the UI. For example, theinitial context information may include, but is not limited to, commentsabout the digital content, information about the author or originator ofthe digital content, related digital content (e.g., related videos ormusic), authors of related digital content (e.g., related artists),activities of a user, a playlist of a user, etc. Each comment, author,related video, related author, activity, topic, and/or playlist, etc.,may be a context item. In one embodiment, the context items may bedisplayed in the second portion of the UI using any combination oflists, tabs, tables, scroll bars, etc.

A user may select a context item from the initial context information(e.g., initial list of context items). In one embodiment, a displayscreen for the computing system 102 (e.g., a liquid crystal display(LCD), a capacitive touch screen, a resistive touch screen, a lightemitting diode (LED) screen, etc.), may have smaller screen space (e.g.,a 4-inch diameter screen) than that of a larger computing device (e.g.,a laptop computer or desktop computer).

As discussed above, conventionally, when a user selects a context item(e.g., a related artist) from the initial list of context items, a mediaviewer would generally stop displaying the digital content (e.g., stopsplaying a video) in order to display the context associated with theselected context item. For example, if a video is playing on the firstportion of the UI and related artists are displayed in the secondportion of the UI, a conventional media viewer would typically stopplayback of the video in the first portion of the UI when the userselected a related artist, in order to display context information forthe related artist. Embodiments of the present invention address thisproblem by allowing a user to browse multiple contexts while continuingplayback of a digital video. In particular, when the user selects acontext item from the initial list of context items displayed in thesecond portion of the UI, the new context (e.g., a second contextincluding a new list of context items) associated with the selectedcontext item is displayed to the user in a third portion of the UI whilecontinuing playback of the digital content in the first portion of theUI. In one example, the third portion of the UI may be provided on topof (e.g., overlaying) the second portion of the UI. In another example,the size of the second portion of the UI may be reduced (e.g., thesecond portion of the UI may be minimized), such that the third portionof the UI may be displayed simultaneously with the second portion of theUI (e.g., the second portion of the UI is minimized and a part of thethird portion of the UI is displayed under the second portion).

Subsequently, the user may select an additional context item from thenew list of context items (e.g., from the second context). In response,additional context information (e.g., a subsequent list of contextitems) associated with the additional context item may be displayed in afourth portion of the UI. In one example, similar to the third portionof the UI, the fourth portion of the UI may be provided on top of (e.g.,may overlay) both the second and third portion of the UI. In anotherexample, the size of the third portion of the UI may be reduced (e.g.,the third portion of the UI may be minimized), such that the fourthportion of the UI may be displayed simultaneously with the second andthird portions of the UI (e.g., a part of the fourth portion of the UIis displayed under the minimized second and third portions of the UI).

In one embodiment, a user may continue to select context items from thelists of context items (e.g., contexts) displayed in the UI. As eachsubsequent context item is selected, subsequent context information(e.g., a list of subsequent context items for the subsequent context) isdisplayed in a new portion of the UI. The new portions of the UI may bedisplayed on top of (e.g., may overlay) the previous portions whichcontain previous contexts for previously selected context items. In thisdisclosure, different contexts are referred to as “context levels,”where each subsequent context level contains a list of context itemsassociated with a previous context item selected from the previouscontext level (optionally with the exception of the initial (first)context level which is associated with the digital content displayed inthe first portion of the UI). For example, the third context levelcontains a list of context items associated with a context item selectedfrom the second context level. Exemplary UIs and portions of UIs arediscussed in more detail below in conjunction with FIGS. 3A-3D.

FIG. 2 illustrates a media viewer 200, in accordance with one embodimentof the present invention. The media viewer 200 may include a mediaplayer 204, a context manager 208, a data store 212, and a UI tool 216.More or less components may be included in the media viewer 200 withoutloss of generality.

The media player 204 may present (e.g., play or display) digital contentto a user of the computing device. For example, the media player 204 mayplay a digital video selected by the user. In another example, the mediaplayer 204 may play digital music selected by the user. The media player204 may be capable of displaying and/or playing multiple types ofvideos, music, and images to the user. In one embodiment, the mediaplayer 204 may also include a variety of other components which may beused to present the digital content to the user. For example, the mediaplayer 204 may include different video codecs (e.g., an H.264 codec or aMotion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) codec) which may be used to encode,decode, and play digital videos. In another example, the media player204 may include audio codecs (e.g., an MPEG audio layer 3 (MP3) codec ora wave codec) which may be used to encode, decode and play digitalmusic. In a further example, the media player 204 may include differentimage codecs (e.g. a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) codec or aGraphics Interchange Format (GIF) codec) which may be used to encode,decode, and display images.

The context manager 208 may manage the contexts for digital contentand/or a selected context item. In one embodiment, the context manager208 may obtain context information for a particular digital content thatis played by the media player 204. For example, when a user selects adigital video, the context manager 208 may obtain context informationfor the digital video such as related artists, related videos, relatedtopics, related originators/authors of content, related comments, etc.In another embodiment, the context manager 208 may process user inputreceived from the user of the computing system 102. For example, thecontext manager 208 may process a user input identifying a digitalvideo, and the context manager 208 may obtain context information forthe digital video. In another example, the context manager 208 mayprocess a user input indicating a selection of a particular context item(e.g., a related artist), and the context manager 208 may obtain contextinformation associated with the selected context item.

In one embodiment, the context manager 208 may track the contextinformation for multiple contexts as the user selects different contexts(e.g., browses through different contexts). For example, if a userstarts with selection of digital video, the context manager may managethe context information associated with the digital video. If the userselects a related artist (e.g., a context item), the context manager 208may obtain new context information (e.g., a new context or contextlevel) associated with the related artist (e.g., the selected contextitem). As the user selects a new context item from each context level,the context manager 208 may manage the context information associatedwith each context level. In one embodiment, the context manager 208 mayobtain context information from content servers 110, shown in FIG. 1. Inanother embodiment, the context manager 208 may obtain contextinformation from other computing devices (e.g., other servers not shownin the figures) via the network 104 or may obtain the contextinformation from a memory (e.g., a hard disk, flash memory, randomaccess memory (RAM), etc.).

In one embodiment, the context manager 208 may store the contextinformation for the different contexts in the context data store 212.The context information may be accessed by the context manager 208 at alater time, so that the context manager 208 does not need to obtain thecontext information one the content servers 110 or other computingdevices (e.g., the context data store 212 may cache contextinformation). The user may be provided with the option to clear the datain the context data store 212 and/or to prevent the context manager 208from storing context information in the context data store 212. In oneembodiment, the context data store 212 may be any type of storagemedium, including, but not limited to, random access memory (RAM), ahard disk, flash memory, a memory card, a CD-ROM, a DVD, etc. Althoughthe context data store 212 is shown as part of the media viewer 200, inother embodiments, the context data store 212 may reside in a differentlocation. For example, the context data store 212 may be stored in amemory and/or a hard drive in the computing system 102.

The UI tool 216 may generate, render, and/or provide the UI presented tothe user. In one embodiment, the UI tool may provide a first portion ofthe UI to display digital content (e.g., to play a video) and mayprovide additional portions of the UI to display context informationassociated with the digital content and/or selected context items. Inanother embodiment, the UI tool 216 may receive user input received fromthe user of the computing system 102. For example, when the user selectsa related artist or a related topic (e.g., a context item) using a touchscreen, the UI tool 216 may receive the user input (e.g., the usertouch) and may provide the user input to other components of the mediaviewer 200 (e.g., the context manager 208).

FIG. 3A is an exemplary user interface (UI) 300 in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. The UI 300 includes a first portion301 and a second portion 305. A digital video 302 is played in the firstportion 301. Although a digital video 302 is shown in the first portion301, it should be understood that in other embodiments, other types ofdigital content may be shown in the first portion 301. For example, animage (e.g., a JPEG) may be shown in the first portion 301. In anotherexample, digital music (e.g., an MP3) may be played in the first portion301. In one embodiment, the first portion 301 may further comprise UIelements (not shown in the figure), such as buttons, slide bars, menus,to control the playback of the digital content. For example, the firstportion 301 may include a volume control slide bar. In another example,the first portion 301 may include buttons, such as “play,” “pause,”“stop,” “fast forward,” and “rewind” buttons to control the playback ofthe digital content.

The context of the digital video 302 (e.g., context information or thelist of context items) associated with the digital video is presented inthe second portion 305. Context items may include, but are not limitedto, related digital content, related authors or originators of digitalcontent, comments, directors, actors, themes, genres, activities of auser, a playlist of a user, etc., related to the digital content. In oneembodiment, a context item may be a topic/subject for the video. Forexample, a video may be a tutorial video about how to repair plumbing.The second portion 305 may include a tab labeled “Topics” (not shown inFIG. 3A) which may list a variety of topics/subjects (e.g., contextitems) related to the video about how to repair plumbing (e.g., the listof topics/subjects may include “Home Repair,” “Plumbing,” “HomeImprovement,” etc.). When a user selects a topic (e.g., Plumbing) theuser may be presented with other context items (e.g., authors of videosrelated to Plumbing, originators of videos related to plumbing, andother videos related to plumbing, etc.) which are related to theselected topic (e.g., the selected context item). Lists of context itemsassociated with the digital video 302 are displayed within multiple tabs306, 307, and 308. In one embodiment, each tab 306, 307, and 308 mayprovide for a logical grouping of context items. Tab 306 is labeled“Related Videos” and may include context items such as other digitalvideos which may be associated to the digital video 302. For example,tab 306 may include similar videos from a same genre as the digitalvideo 302. In another example, tab 306 may include videos which have asimilar theme as the digital video 302. Tab 307 is labeled “RelatedArtists” and may include context items such as other authors and/ororiginators of content which may be associated to the digital video 302.For example, tab 307 may include other artists from the same genre asthe digital video 302. Tab 308 is labeled “Comments” and may includecontext items such as comments about the digital video 302, from otherusers.

As shown in FIG. 3A, tab 307 (labeled “Related Artists”) is selected bythe user. Because tab 307 is selected, context item list 309, whichcontains the context items grouped in the tab 307, is displayed in thesecond portion 305. Context item list 309 includes the context items“Artist 2,” “Artist 4,” “Artist 8,” “Artist 11,” “Artist 17,” and“Artist 28.” In one embodiment, if the user selects another tab, thecontext items grouped in the other tab, may be displayed in the secondportion 305. The tabs 306, 307, and 308 provide an efficient andintuitive method for organizing context items into logical groups whichmay be presented to a user in the second portion 305. Although tabs areshown in the second portion 305, in other embodiments, other types ofelements for organizing and present data may be used to present contextitems to the user. For example, tables, graphs, charts, lists, grids,etc., may be presented in the second portion 305.

FIG. 3B is an exemplary user interface (UI) 320 in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention. The UI 320 includes a firstportion 301, a second portion 305, and a third portion 310. Referringback to FIG. 3A, the digital video 302 continues playing in the firstportion 301. A user selection indicating the context item “Artist 4”from the second portion 305 of the UI 300 shown in FIG. 3A is received.In response to the user selection of the context item “Artist 4,” a newcontext or context level is displayed in the third portion 310. The newcontext (e.g., context level) includes context items which are relatedor associated with the context item “Artist 4” selected from the contextitem list 309 shown in FIG. 3A.

In one embodiment, the third portion 310 may be displayed on top of thesecond portion 305, such that part of the second portion 305 is obscuredby the third portion 310. In another embodiment (not shown), the secondportion 305 may be minimized (e.g., reduced in size) such that it takesup a smaller amount of space than shown in FIG. 3A. This may allow forenough space to display the third portion 310 under the minimized secondportion 305 in the UI 320, with the minimized second portion 305covering a part of the third portion 310.

The context items associated with the selected context item “Artist 4”are displayed within multiple tabs 311, 314, and 313. As discussedabove, each tab 311, 314, and 313 may provide for a logical grouping ofcontext items. Tab 311 is labeled “Videos by Artist” and may includecontext items such as other digital videos authored by and/ororiginating from “Artist 4.” The tab 314 is labeled “Related Artists”and may include context items such as other authors and/or originatorsof content which are related to “Artist 4.” The tab 313 is labeled“Artist Bio” and may include biographical information for “Artist 4.”

As shown in FIG. 3B, tab 311 (labeled “Videos by Artist”) is selected bythe user. Because tab 311 is selected, context item list 312, whichcontains the context items grouped in the tab 311, is displayed in thethird portion 310. Context item list 312 includes the context items“Video 3,” “Video 6,” “Video 7,” “Video 8,” “Video 15,” and “Video 23.”If the user selects another tab, the context items grouped into theother tab, may be displayed in the third portion 310.

The UI 320 allows the user to browse a different context withoutstopping the playback of the digital video 302 in the first portion 301.As shown in FIG. 3B, the user has selected the context item “Artist 4,”from the list of context items (e.g., the context) associated with thedigital video 302. Rather than stopping playback of the video 302 andusing the first portion 301 to display a new context associated with“Artist 4,” the digital video 302 continues to play in the first portion301. The new context (e.g., the context items or information associatedwith Artist 4) is displayed in the third portion 310 without stoppingplaying back of the video 302. This allows a user to browse (e.g.,select and view) through multiple contexts, without stopping theplayback of the digital video 302.

FIG. 3C is an exemplary user interface (UI) 340 in accordance with afurther embodiment of the present invention. The UI 340 includes a firstportion 301, a second portion 305, a third portion 310, and a fourthportion 315. Referring back to FIG. 3B, the digital video 302 continuesplaying in the first portion 301. A user selection indicating thecontext item “Video 8” from the third portion 310 of the UI 320 shown inFIG. 3B is received. In response to the user selection of the contextitem “Video 8,” a new context or context level is displayed in thefourth portion 315. The new context (e.g., context level) includescontext items which are related or associated with the context item“Video 8” selected from the context item list 312 shown in FIG. 3B.

In one embodiment, the fourth portion 315 may be displayed on top of thethird portion 310, such that part of the third portion 310 is obscuredby the fourth portion 315. In another embodiment, the third portion 310may be minimized (e.g., reduced in size) such that it takes up a smalleramount of space than shown in FIG. 3A. This may allow for enough spaceto display the fourth portion 315 under the minimized second portion 305and third portion 310 of the UI 340 such that part of the fourth portion315 is obscured. The context items associated with the selected contextitem “Video 8” are displayed within multiple tabs 326, 327, and 328.

As discussed above, each tab 326, 327, and 328 may provide for a logicalgrouping of context items. Tab 326 is labeled “Related Authors” and mayinclude context items such as other authors/originators of contentrelated to “Video 8.” The tab 327 is labeled “Related Videos” and mayinclude context items such as other videos which are related to “Video8.” The tab 328 is labeled “Related Topics” and may include othertopics/subjects which are related to “Video 8.”

As shown in FIG. 3C, tab 328 (labeled “Related Topics”) is selected bythe user. Because tab 328 is selected, list 329, which contains a listof topics/subjects related to “Video 8,” is displayed in the fourthportion 315. List 329 includes “Topic 10,” “Topic 15,” and “Topic 27,”which are related to “Video 8.” If the user selects another tab, thecontext items grouped in the other tab, may be displayed in the fourthportion 315.

FIG. 3D is an exemplary user interface (UI) 360 in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention. The UI 360 includes a firstportion 301, a second portion 305, a third portion 310, a fourth portion315, a fifth portion 320, and sixth portion 325. Referring back to FIG.3C, the digital video 302 continues playing in the first portion 301.The second portion 305 is associated with the context (e.g., contextlevel or context information) for the currently playing video 302. Thethird portion 310 is associated with the context for the “Artist 4”context item, which was selected from the context associated with “Video1” (e.g., selected from context list 309 shown in second portion 305 ofFIG. 3A). The fourth portion 315 is associated with the context for the“Video 8” context item, which was selected from the context associatedwith “Artist 4.” The fifth portion 320 is associated with the contextfor “Artist 10.” “Artist 10” may be a context item from the tab 326 ofFIG. 3C, which contains authors/originators of content (e.g., contextitems) related to “Video 8.” The sixth portion 325 is associated withthe context item “Artist 21”, which may be a context item from a tab inthe fifth portion 320.

As discussed above, when the user selects a context item, a new context(e.g., a new context level) is displayed in a new portion of the UI. Inone embodiment, other than the initial context (e.g., the context for“Video 1” shown in the second portion 305), each subsequent context(e.g., each context level) is associated with (e.g., related to) acontext item from a previous context (e.g., previous context level). Theinitial context (e.g., the context for “Video 1”) contains contextinformation for “Video 1” and is not associated with a context item froma previous context level, because the initial context is the firstcontext level.

In one embodiment, the user may browse (e.g., transition) to any one ofthe previous contexts displayed in the previous portions of the UI 360.Thus, the previous contexts (e.g., the previous portions of the UI)remain accessible to the user, so that the user may view contextinformation (e.g., previous context items) for the previous contexts.For example, although the current context is associated with “Artist21,” the user may directly select the context for “Video 8,” and thecontext items (e.g., the context or context information) associated with“Video 8” may be displayed by the UI 360. In one embodiment, the portionof the UI corresponding to the selected context may be expanded in orderto display the context items for the selected context. The user mayprovide input (e.g., a touch screen input, keystroke, etc.) to directlyselect one of the previous contexts. In another embodiment, the user mayreach previous contexts by backtracking through the previous contextslevel by level. For example, in order to view the context for “Artist4”, the user may backtrack through the context for “Artist 10” and“Video 8” before reaching the context for “Artist 4.” The user mayprovide user input to backtrack through the previous contexts. Forexample, the user may use a “back” button or may provide touch screeninput (e.g., a swipe gesture on the touch screen) to backtrack to aprevious context.

Although the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3D show a thickerhorizontal bar which displays the text for the different portions of theUI (e.g., the second portion of the UI, the third portion of the UI, thefourth portion of the UI, etc.), it should be understood that in otherembodiments, the different portions of the UI may be presented by the UIin different ways. For example, a thinner horizontal bar (without text)may be used to represent each additional portion of the UI, in order toprovide more space in the UI to display context items. In anotherexample, multiple portions of the UI (e.g., the second, third, fourthand fifth portion of the UI) may be represented with a single thinnerhorizontal bar (without text), in order to provide more space in the UIto display context items.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment for a method 400 ofbrowsing multiple contexts. The method 400 may be performed byprocessing logic that may include hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicatedlogic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (e.g.,instructions run on a processing device to perform hardware simulation),or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the method 400 is performedby a computing system (e.g., the computing system 102 of FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 4, the method 400 starts with the computing systemproviding a UI to a user, to facilitate user input identifying a video(block 404). For example, the UI may provide a search field to allow auser to search for videos. In another example, the UI may provide a listof videos to the user. At block 408, user input identifying the video isreceived from the user and the video (e.g., video 302 in FIG. 3A) isplayed in a first portion of the UI (e.g., first portion 301 in FIG.3A). In one embodiment, the user input may be a combination ofkeystrokes, mouse inputs, and/or touch screen inputs (e.g., a touch or agesture on a portion of a touch screen). A list of context items (e.g.,context item list 309) is presented to the user in a second portion ofthe UI (e.g., second portion 305 in FIG. 3A) at block 412. The list ofcontext items is associated and/or related to the video playing in thefirst portion of the UI.

At block 416, a user selection of a context item from the list ofcontext items is received. For example, the user may select a relatedvideo context item or related artist context item from the list ofcontext items presented to the user at block 412. Data associated withthe selected context item (e.g., a new context or a new context level)is presented in a third portion of the UI (e.g., third portion 310 inFIG. 3B) at block 420. The data associated with the selected contextitem (e.g., the new context) may include a list of context items (e.g.,context item list 312 in FIG. 3B) associated with the context itemselected at block 416.

Although a digital video is shown in the flow diagram, it should beunderstood that in other embodiments, other types of digital content(e.g., digital music, etc.), contexts associated with the other types ofdigital content, and context items associated with the other types ofdigital content, may be displayed by the user interface.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating another embodiment for a method500 of browsing multiple contexts. The method 500 may be performed byprocessing logic that may include hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicatedlogic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (e.g.,instructions run on a processing device to perform hardware simulation),or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the method 500 is performedby a computing system (e.g., the computing system 102 of FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 5, the method 500 starts with the providing a UIhaving a first portion (e.g., first portion 301 in FIG. 3B) playing avideo (e.g., video 302), a second portion (e.g., second portion 305 inFIG. 3B) providing access to an initial list of context items related tothe video, and a third portion (e.g., third portion 310 in FIG. 3B)presenting a next list of context items related to a selected contextitem (e.g., Artist 4) from the initial list (block 504). At block 508, auser selection of a next selected context item from the next list ofcontext items in the third portion of the UI, is received. Afterreceiving the user selection of the next context item, data associatedwith then next context item selected from the next list (e.g., a nextcontext or context level), is displayed in a fourth portion of the UI(e.g., fourth portion 315 in FIG. 3C) at block 512.

Although a digital video is shown in the flow diagram, it should beunderstood that in other embodiments, other types of digital content(e.g., digital music, etc.), contexts associated with the other types ofdigital content, and context items associated with the other types ofdigital content, may be displayed by the user interface.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a further embodiment for a method600 of browsing multiple contexts. The method 600 may be performed byprocessing logic that may include hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicatedlogic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (e.g.,instructions run on a processing device to perform hardware simulation),or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the method 600 is performedby a computing system (e.g., the computing system 102 of FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 6, the method 600 starts at block 604 with providing aUI having a first portion (e.g., first portion 301 in FIG. 3D) andadditional portions presenting different levels of context items (e.g.,different context levels), each level being related to a context item ata previous context level (e.g., portions 310, 315, 320, and 325 in FIG.3D). User input identifying one of the different context levels isreceived at block 608. As discussed above in conjunction with FIG. 3D,the user input may be a direct selection of one of the different contextlevels or the user input may be used to backtrack through previouscontext levels. At block 612, the context items for the identifiedcontext level are displayed in the corresponding portion of the UI. Inone embodiment, the portion of the UI associated with the identifiedcontext level made larger (e.g., maximized) so that the context itemsfor the identified context level may be displayed on the UI. The otherportions of the UI corresponding to other context levels may beminimized to provide space to display the context items for theidentified context level. In another embodiment, the user input may bean input to backtrack through one or more context levels, to reach acontext level requested by the user.

Although a digital video is shown in the flow diagram, it should beunderstood that in other embodiments, other types of digital content(e.g., digital music, etc.), contexts associated with the other types ofdigital content, and context items associated with the other types ofdigital content, may be displayed by the user interface.

FIG. 7 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a machine in theexemplary form of a computer system 700 within which a set ofinstructions, for causing the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein, may be executed. In alternativeembodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., networked) to othermachines in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. Themachine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine inclient-server network environment, or as a peer machine in apeer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine may be apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a webappliance, a server, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machinecapable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise)that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only asingle machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken toinclude any collection of machines that individually or jointly executea set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more ofthe methodologies discussed herein.

The exemplary computer system 700 includes a processing device(processor) 702, a main memory 704 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flashmemory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM(SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), etc.), a static memory 706 (e.g., flashmemory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), and a data storagedevice 718, which communicate with each other via a bus 730.

Processor 702 represents one or more general-purpose processing devicessuch as a microprocessor, central processing unit, or the like. Moreparticularly, the processor 702 may be a complex instruction setcomputing (CISC) microprocessor, reduced instruction set computing(RISC) microprocessor, very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor,or a processor implementing other instruction sets or processorsimplementing a combination of instruction sets. The processor 702 mayalso be one or more special-purpose processing devices such as anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), network processor,or the like. The processor 702 is configured to execute instructions 726for performing the operations and steps discussed herein.

The computer system 700 may further include a network interface device722 to communicate with a network 721. The computer system 700 also mayinclude a video display unit 710 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD),a touch screen, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), an alphanumeric inputdevice 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 714 (e.g., amouse), and a signal generation device 720 (e.g., a speaker).

The data storage device 716 may include a computer-readable storagemedium 724 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions 726(e.g., software) embodying any one or more of the methodologies orfunctions described herein. The instructions 726 may also reside,completely or at least partially, within the main memory 704 and/orwithin the processor 702 during execution thereof by the computer system700, the main memory 704 and the processor 702 also constitutingcomputer-readable storage media. The instructions 726 may further betransmitted or received over a network 774 via the network interfacedevice 722.

In one embodiment, the instructions 726 include instructions for a mediaviewer, which may correspond to media viewer 200 of FIG. 2. While thecomputer-readable storage medium 724 is shown in an exemplary embodimentto be a single medium, the term “computer-readable storage medium”should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable storage medium” shall also be taken to include anymedium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set ofinstructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine toperform any one or more of the methodologies of the present invention.The term “computer-readable storage medium” shall accordingly be takento include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical media,and magnetic media.

In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth. It will beapparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art having thebenefit of this disclosure, that the present invention may be practicedwithout these specific details. In some instances, well-known structuresand devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, inorder to avoid obscuring the present invention.

Some portions of the detailed description have been presented in termsof algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bitswithin a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally,conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desiredresult. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physicalquantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take theform of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored,transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It hasproven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, torefer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters,terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion,it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizingterms such as “providing,” “presenting,” “receiving,” “displaying,”“playing,” or the like, refer to the actions and processes of a computersystem, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates andtransforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantitieswithin the computer system's registers and memories into other datasimilarly represented as physical quantities within the computer systemmemories or registers or other such information storage, transmission ordisplay devices.

The present invention also relates to an apparatus for performing theoperations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for therequired purposes, or it may comprise a general purpose computerselectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored inthe computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computerreadable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of diskincluding floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic-opticaldisks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs,EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable forstoring electronic instructions.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to beillustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will beapparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding theabove description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, bedetermined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullscope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

We claim:
 1. A method comprising: providing, by a processing device, auser interface playing a digital video for a user in a first portion ofthe user interface; presenting, in a second portion of the userinterface, a first set of user interface elements representing a firstplurality of context item groups associated with the digital video, anda first list of context items from a selected context item group of thefirst plurality of context item groups, wherein the first set of userinterface elements are presented in the second portion as a first set oftabs; and in response to receiving a user selection of a context itemfrom the first list, presenting data associated with the selectedcontext item from the first list in a third portion of the userinterface while continuing playback of the digital video in the firstportion of the user interface, wherein the data associated with theselected context item from the first list comprises a second set of userinterface elements representing a second plurality of context itemgroups associated with the selected context item, and a second list ofcontext items from a selected context item group of the second pluralityof context item groups, and presenting a hierarchy of contextsaccessible during the playback of the digital video, the hierarchy ofcontexts including a first context corresponding to the first pluralityof context item groups associated with the digital video, and a secondcontext corresponding to the second plurality of context item groupsassociated with the selected context item from the first list.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a second user selectionof a second context item from the second list of context itemsassociated with the selected context item from the first list; andpresenting second data associated with the second selected context itemfrom the second list in a fourth portion of the user interface whilecontinuing playback of the digital video in the first portion of theuser interface, and adding a third context corresponding to the secondselected context item from the second list to the hierarchy of contexts.3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: receiving a user inputindicating a selection of one of the second portion of the userinterface, the third portion of the user interface, or the fourthportion of the user interface; presenting the first list of contextitems associated with the digital video, the data or the second data,based on the third user input.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein theuser input comprises one or more of a keyboard input and a touchscreeninput.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the second set user interfaceelements are presented in the third portion as a second set of tabs,wherein each context item in the second list of context items isdisplayed within the second set of tabs, wherein the fourth portion ofthe user interface comprises a third set of tabs, and wherein eachcontext item in the third list of context items is displayed within thethird set of tabs.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first pluralityof context items groups comprise two or more of: a related contentgroup, a comments group, description of the digital video, informationabout an author of the digital video, and information about anoriginator of the digital video.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein theuser interface is displayed within a screen of a smartphone, a personaldigital assistance (PDA), or a cellular phone.
 8. A system comprising: amemory to store data associated with contexts and context items; aprocessing device, coupled to the memory and configured to: provide auser interface playing a digital video for a user in a first portion ofthe user interface; present, in a second portion of the user interface,a first set of user interface elements representing a first plurality ofcontext item groups associated with the digital video, and a first listof context items from a selected context item group of the firstplurality of context item groups, wherein the first set of userinterface elements are presented in the second portion as a first set oftabs; and in response to receiving a user selection of a context itemfrom the first list, present data associated with the selected contextitem from the first list in a third portion of the user interface whilecontinuing playback of the digital video in the first portion of theuser interface, wherein the data associated with the selected contextitem from the first list comprises a second set of user interfaceelements representing a second plurality of context item groupsassociated with the selected context item, and a second list of contextitems from a selected context item group of the second plurality ofcontext item groups, and present a hierarchy of contexts accessibleduring the playback of the digital video, the hierarchy of contextsincluding a first context corresponding to the first plurality ofcontext item groups associated with the digital video, and a secondcontext corresponding to the second plurality of context item groupsassociated with the selected context item from the first list.
 9. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the processing device is further configuredto: receive a second user selection from the second list of contextitems associated with the selected context item from the first list; andpresent second data associated with the second selected context itemfrom the second list in a fourth portion of the user interface whilecontinuing playback of the digital video in the first portion of theuser interface, and add a third context corresponding to the secondselected context item from the second list to the hierarchy of contexts.10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processing device is furtherconfigured to: receive a user input indicating a selection of one of thesecond portion of the user interface, the third portion of the userinterface or the fourth portion of the user interface; present the firstlist of context items associated with the digital video, the data, orthe second data, based on the third user input.
 11. The system of claim10, wherein the user input comprises one or more of a keyboard input anda touchscreen input.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the second setof user interface elements are presented in the third portion as asecond set of tabs, wherein each context item in the second list ofcontext items is displayed within the second set of tabs, wherein thefourth portion of the user interface comprises a third set of tabs, andwherein each context item in the third list of context items isdisplayed within the third set of tabs.
 13. The system of claim 8,wherein the first plurality of context items groups comprise two or moreof: a related content group, a comments group, description of thedigital video, information about an author of the digital video, andinformation about an originator of the digital video.
 14. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the user interface is displayed within a screen of asmartphone, a personal digital assistance (PDA), or a cellular phone.15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encodinginstructions thereon that, in response to execution by a processingdevice, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:providing, by the processing device, a user interface playing a digitalvideo for a user in a first portion of the user interface; presenting,in a second portion of the user interface, a first set of user interfaceelements representing a first plurality of context item groupsassociated with the digital video, and a first list of context itemsfrom a selected context item group of the first plurality of contextitem groups, wherein the first set of user interface elements arepresented in the second portion as a first set of tabs; and in responseto receiving a user selection of a context item from the first list,presenting data associated with the selected context item from the firstlist in a third portion of the user interface while continuing playbackof the digital video in the first portion of the user interface, whereinthe data associated with the selected context item from the first listcomprises a second set of user interface elements representing a secondplurality of context item groups associated with the selected contextitem, and a second list of context items from a selected context itemgroup of the second plurality of context item groups, and presenting ahierarchy of contexts accessible during the playback of the digitalvideo, the hierarchy of contexts including a first context correspondingto the first plurality of context item groups associated with thedigital video, and a second context corresponding to the secondplurality of context item groups associated with the selected contextitem from the first list.
 16. The non-transitory computer readablestorage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:receiving a second user selection of a second context item from thesecond list of context items associated with the selected context itemfrom the first list; and presenting second data associated with thesecond selected context item from the second list in a fourth portion ofthe user interface while continuing playback of the digital video in thefirst portion of the user interface, and adding a third contextcorresponding to the second selected context item from the second listto the hierarchy of contexts.
 17. The non-transitory computer readablestorage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:receiving a user input indicating a selection of one of the secondportion of the user interface, the third portion of the user interface,or the fourth portion of the user interface; presenting the first listof context items associated with the digital video, the data, or thesecond data, based on the third user input.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the user inputcomprises one or more of a keyboard input and a touchscreen input. 19.The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, whereinthe second set of user interface elements are presented in the thirdportion as a second set of tabs, wherein each context item in the secondlist of context items is displayed within the second set of tabs,wherein the fourth portion of the user interface comprises a third setof tabs, and wherein each context item in the third list of contextitems is displayed within the third set of tabs.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the firstplurality of context items groups comprise two or more of: a relatedcontent group, a comments group, description of the digital video,information about an author of the digital video, and information aboutan originator of the digital video.
 21. The non-transitory computerreadable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the user interface isdisplayed within a screen of a smartphone, a personal digital assistance(PDA), or a cellular phone.